Today’s
Reef Aquarium
The Perfect Marine Aquarium
(March 2002 page 17)
Tullio Dell Aquila & Dan Caruso , BAS

This month I decided to write about what could be the perfect marine aquarium. Now already I have raised the eyebrow of many skeptics but just bare with me a moment. I have thought long and hard about this, weighing things like set up costs, maintenance, and ease of care with the consideration of the health of any fish or invertebrates being kept first and foremost. Plus most hobbyists starting out cannot afford to take a second mortgage on their home just to set up a healthy marine tank. Bottom line is you do not have to buy 200 pounds of live rock and 100 pieces of corals to construct a beautiful marine aquarium.


One thing I have found is that no matter what type of aquarium it is, every one is always trying to figure out how to squeeze just one more fish in their aquarium. I also found that most reef guys have the same weakness, they love to see lots of fish swimming around, and even the fish guys have to admit it they would like to see more interest in their aquariums than dead corals and rocks.

Now I do not support the use of dead coral or any type of curios in any aquarium period but that is another story. Point is there could be the best of both worlds. The one thing both systems need regardless of what is being kept in them is efficient biological filtration. The other thing that both types of aquariums like to discourage is the presence of nuisance algae, and disease. But there is good news for a lot of hobbyist. If you set up a tank properly I do not care if it is a goldfish bowl or a Discus tank, problems like algae and disease rarely exist. The close to perfect marine aquarium has it all in one simple package!


Now the purpose of this type of aquarium is a low maintenance and cost effective system with high success rates, but there are limits to what you will be able to keep as far as certain fish and corals. The trick is finding fish that will not eat the macro algae or strip the micro fauna in the system, and invertebrates that will thrive in the presence of macro algae simple as that. And even if you housed common Damselfish they can be a lot more interesting and fun than that dead exotic Angel you just bought a week ago that you are still skipping lunches to pay for.

If trying this from scratch you should use cultured ready to use live sand, and cured live rock (as little as lb a gallon) as you will have to feed the aquarium regularly right from the start in order to sustain proper nutrient levels for the macro algae and bacteria in the system to flourish. Marc Weiss just came out with a product called F.O.R.M that is a great source of many of these elements since it is basically an ancient reef mud laden with many valuable trace elements and nutrients along with the remains of microbial strains that I believe bacteria and many other micro-organisms capitalize on. As with all of Marc’s stuff the reason I like it is because it is all natural and is not some synthetic spin off like I have found with many other products sold to hobbyist. Also try to get some Macro algae going right away to beat out any nuisance algae from taking hold. Once the algae is established the best part about these tanks is that you can feed them heavily which is something everyone loves to do. Whatever your fish and corals do not eat gets broken down and utilized by the algae, bacteria and other organisms in the system. Another secret I have found is that most fish and corals collected from the reefs need to eat a lot! If you feed these fish and corals as much as they would eat in a day in an average tank you will pollute it that is why so many hobbyist have the problems they do with the health of their fish and invertebrates. They need lots of food! A well fed fish is usually a healthy fish and has no problems coping with disease and other health related problems just as would be the case in the ocean. The same goes for your corals.


The concept itself is quite simple. I based the set up on live sumps and algae scrubbers that are regularly used to support full blown reef and fish aquariums but there is one simple twist. Instead of all sorts of hoses, pumps and other gadgets outside the tank why not just create a giant living sump/algae scrubber right in your aquarium? It can actually be pretty cool and you have to see all the cool creepy creatures that will flourish in order to believe it. A reef aquarium does not have to look like a decoupage of corals set up like a fruit stand and a fish tank does not have to look some barren section of ocean. Best part is if set up correctly, this type of tank will practically take care of itself.
I know, my 75 gallon tank which has been nick named my lagoon tank has run undisturbed like this for years and breaks all the rules when it comes to what people believe they have to do in order to have a healthy tank. The big secret to the tank is I rarely touch it! I add top off water, some buffer, and kalkwasser from time to time that is about it! It does not even look like a tank it looks like a slice right out of the ocean since I have let it grow undisturbed. The live rock was just haphazardly thrown about when I built the tank creating all sorts of caves and caverns which my eels love and protects the micro fauna in the system from over predication. The live rock covers about a total of two thirds of the live sand bed from front to back which is about two inches thick.

The lighting consist of two tiffany style hanging lamp fixtures which my wife picked out that look really cool but are optional off course and they house a full spectrum light source that puts out 120 watts each (that is all I can tell you HINT!) and a standard 40 watt Hagen Marine GLO actinic bulb at the front and rear of the tank. Yep you heard right that is it! The only cool add on is a set of two Moon Beams from Bright Light Technologies that are really cool.

They were sent to me to test and to be totally honest I put them on because they look really cool when the lights go out. Best part is they do not disturb the fish or corals and do not interfere with the photosynthetic cycle of your system. In fact I feel they help by providing low levels of photosynthesis such as the moon would during lunar cycles. When the lights have been out for awhile and the rooms lights have been off as well you would be amazed at all the goings on you will see at night in your system.

Anyway here a system with no filters at all, no protein skimmers, no mega million dollar lighting systems, nothing that anyone cannot create themselves that has provided a safe and healthy habitat for all my inhabitants for years. This tank is teaming with life and all the fish and inverts are thriving. No disease, no slime, no diatoms, no hair algae. When people see the tank some actually get mad that they go through all this work and here these beautiful tanks in front of them that run themselves. No plenums or mud’s just good old fashioned marine aquariums. Now I am not saying that all aquariums should be set up like this. When setting up an elaborate system to house sensitive fish and corals there is no substitute for certain equipment and devices this is just a trust worthy alternative.

If you got a chance to ask many of the pro’s out there in this business what they run you would be shocked and disappointed to find out that many of their systems are not full blown laboratories, but a system very similar to this! As I have said a bunch of times I like to build and design aquariums for the real world. Not everyone has the time and the resources to build and maintain a huge reef tank but that does not mean you cannot create a beautiful marine environment in your home for everyone in your family to enjoy. The most important part about building an aquarium to house fish and invertebrates is to create a healthy environment for their survival.

So do not stress over having the biggest tank on the block, just the healthiest. People can say what they like about me, my techniques, and the products I use but the bottom line is my tanks speak for themselves. Most of the fish in my tanks I have had so long my family has named them! Many marine organisms can live for years and years if you just provide some basic elements and let them take care of the rest.

Till next time good luck The BAS puts on a great show every year and I hear some pretty cool people are going to be there this year. I am bringing some exiting new products to the show along with other goodies to be auctioned off so come check it out.
See ya there!